Liturgies in a Plural Age: The Concept of Liturgy in the Works of William T. Cavanaugh and James K. A. Smith

Abstract

In the article the political theologians William T. Cavanaugh’s and James K. A. Smith’s understanding of liturgy is analyzed and compared. In an effort to engage with public life from the perspective of theology, they both develop an understanding of liturgy that does not restrict it to a practice within a Christian context. Instead, they argue that liturgies are practices that also are observable within secular contexts. From this analysis, two understandings of liturgy are highlighted: liturgy as resistance and liturgy as dialogue. In conclusion, the article discusses what implications these understandings of liturgy have for the Church when confronting a contemporary pluralistic public context.